Apparatus for illuminating buildings with coal-oil



1 t e 6 h S S t B 8 h S 3 Y D nU QM A a d O M 0 m APPARATUS FORILLUMINATING BUILDINGS WITH GOAL OIL No. 425,302.

Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

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PatentedApr. 8, 1890.

A. S, CODY. APPARATUS FOR ILLUMINATING, BUILDINGS WITH GOAL OIL.

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r A. S. CODY. APPARATUS FOR ILLUMINATING BUILDINGS WITH COAL OIL.

Patented Apr. 8, 1890,

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ABRAHAM S. CODY, OF MIDLAND, MICHIGAN.

APPARATUS FOR ILLUMINATING BUILDINGS WITH COAL-OIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,302, dated April 8,1890.

Application filed October 25, 1889. Serial No. 328,138. (No model.)

To all whom-it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM S. CODY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Midland, in the county of Midland and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forIlluminating Buildings with Coal-Oil, of which the following is aspecification.

llly invention relates to apparatus for supplying oil from a common orgeneral reser- V011 to any desired number of lamps suitably located andarranged; and it consists in novel features of construction, hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In order that my invention may be more fully understood, I will proceedto describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure I is an elevation, partly in section, of an apparatusillustrating my improved system. Fig. II is a vertical section, on alarger scale, of the elevated air-receiver and its accessories andconnections. Fig. III is a transverse section of the same, showing theair-receiver depressed and disconnected from the siphon-pipe. Fig. IV isa transverse section in the same plane, showing the air-receiverelevated and with the connecting-passage open. Fig. V is a sectionalelevation of the apparatus, illustrating a modification.

A represents a suitable reservoir for containing the supply of oil, andconnecting at bottom through a pipe B with the regulating chamber or pan0, which may be open to the atmosphere. The said pipe Bis connected withthe bottom of the reservoir A, and extended, preferably, nearly to thebottom of the chamber 0, and is provided with a faucet b, to shut offthe supply of oil, when required. The reservoir A and theregulating-chamber O are connected by a second pipe 0 for air, whichcommunicates at top with the upper part of the reservoir A and at bottomwith the supply-chamber O at the level on which it is intended tomaintain the supply of oil. The top of the reservoir A is furnished witha screw-plug I and packing i, so that it may be closed air-tight, thisplug being employed for introducing the supply of oil.

D represents an overflow-pipe from the regulating-chamber O. From thelower part of the chamber 0 a siphon-pipe E extends in an upwarddirect-ion. the siphon-pipe is provided with a faucet F, the rotaryexternal shell of which is connected with the air-receiving chamber G,through a port Z at the top of the faucet F, in such wise that byreversing the chamber G or turning it'down, as shown in Fig. III, theconnection between the siphon-pipe E and the elevated air receiver maybe shut off.

The elevated air-receiver is filled with oil in first supplying theapparatus, and when turned into its elevated position, being at thehighest point of the apparatus, it forms a receptacle into which allair-bubbles will flow, so as to relieve the connecting-pipes andlamp-burners from the effect of leakage of air which may occur throughjoints or in the siphonic operation.

The air-chamber and its accessories, with the siphon-pipe E, aresupported by suitable brackets H from the ceiling, wall, or floor, asmay be most convenient. From its highest point the siphon-pipe Edescends by an arm E of any necessary extent, communicat ing at properpoints with supply-pipes K K, in which the oil is conducted to the lampsL.

The body of thelamp directly above the horizontal connecting-pipes Kthrough which the oil is supplied, is provided with metallic strainersJ, beneath which the body of the oil will always rest below and out ofthe reach of the lamp-wicks, so as to provide a constant trap over thelamp ends of the con necting-pipes to prevent the passage of air throughthe latter to the oil-supply pipes. The valve or faucet to which theair-receiver is attached is fitted in the customary manner by a conicaland ground joint with the interior body f, the latter being provided atits smaller end with the customary screw-thread to receive the nuts M,by which the parts are drawn into tight connection, as is usual in theconstruction of faucets of this character.

The air-receiver G may be advantageously made of glass, or it may bemade of metal with a glass plate or a glass tube connected with the oilto indicate the height of the oil in the said air-receiver. Thereservoir A may also be furnished with a similar gage-tube in thecustomary manner.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: In order to fill the pipesand reservoir, the

At the highest point.

lamp-burners are removed and the bodies of the lamps tightly closed withrubber corks; likewise the induction end of the siphon-pipe E, or thislatter may be provided with a cock 9 for the purpose. The air-reservoirG is then screwed out of its socket in the faucet F, and a funnel beingput in its place the entire system of pipes is filled with oil from thisupper most point. Then the air-receiver is itself filled, the faucetreversed to close it, the airreceiver screwed on, and then turned upinto vertical position, which opens the passage between the air-receiverG and the siphonpipeE through the faucet F. The cockb in the oil-supplypipe B being closed, the reservoir A- is completely filled with oilthrough the cap I, the latter tightly closed down, the cock I) opened,and the oil will then flow down into the regulating-chamber until itreaches the open lower end of the air-pipe O for the passage of air tothe reservoir A, and so retaining the oil in the latter by atmosphericpressure. The induction end of the siphon-pipe E having been previouslyopened and the stoppers in the lamps removed and the burners replaced,it will now appear that the siphonic action will furnish a constantsupply of oil to all of the lamps L, maintaining a constant level of oiltherein up to the line P, which is the exact level of the lower end ofthe air-pipe O and is the predetermined height at which the oil is to bemaintained, the lamps being arranged with reference to this level so asto keep the oil at a constant. and proper height for the supply of theburners. Atmospheric pressure is applied through the burners to one endof the column, or siphon system, and

to the other end at the surface of the oil in the openregulating-chamber 0. As the oil is consumed, the slightest depletion ofoil in the body of the lamps causesa corresponding depression of the oilin the open chamber 0, permitting a bubble of air to pass up through theair-pipe O and a corresponding descent of oil through the supply-pipe B,so as to maintain the oil constantly at the desired level indicated bythe line P. Any air which may enter the siphon-pipe E or thesupply-pipes K K at any point will rise through saidpipes to the highestpoint and reach the air-receiver G, where it passes above the level oftheoll, leaving the oil in the siphon and supply pipes entirely freefrom air, a corresponding quantity'of oil passing through theair-receiver G into the pipes. Whenever the oil falls too ,low inthe-air-receiver G to maintain this pipes and thus, by the nonremoval ofthe oil beneath the strainer, to insure the constant maintenance of anoil-trap to prevent the passage of air into the pipes.

In the modification shown in Flg. V the supply-pipe B and siphon-pipe Eare made 1n one continuous pipe with a common commu nication with theregulating-chamber 0 through apertures b in said continuous pipe.

The reservoir A may of course be located at any desired height above theregulating chamber O-as, for example, on an upper floor, as illustratedin Fig. V.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newthereinand desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination of the reservoir A, si-

phon-pipe E, faucet F, and reversible air-re- ABRAHAM s. CODY.

WVitnesses:

M. W. RYAN, SAM FOSTER.

